1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tools and mechanisms for intelligently handling instant messages directed to users who are temporarily indisposed or unable to review and respond to messages received in real time.
2. Background of the Invention
Instant Messaging (“IM”) tools such as IBM's Sametime, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo/AOL Instant Messenger are widely used in workplaces and personal settings to improve communication. Instant Messaging is becoming crucial in day-to-day business life.
According to recent Media Matrix research, AOL Instant Messenger™ has 21.5 Million users, Microsoft Network (“MSN”) has 10.3 Million users, and Yahoo!™ has 10.6 Million users of their IM Clients. Additionally, many corporations have integrated instant messaging applications into their suite of productivity tools for their employees. As an example, IBM has deployed Lotus Sametime instant messaging for employees worldwide. This widespread usage demonstrates that instant messaging applications are becoming a major means of communication for both casual and business users. Many users prefer to contact their peers via Instant Messaging as a first choice because it is a fast and efficient method of communication.
As such, IM has become a simple method to connect people together and is especially useful when a user wants to send a short message or ask a quick question, rather than sending a lengthier email, or placing the traditional telephone call. IM enables a quicker response, a convenient communication and interaction over the network, and provides cost-saving.
IM Disruptions to Other Tasks and Trains of Thought
This “real-time” method of communication, however, can also be disruptive at times. If a particular user is in a messaging session with other users, discussing a business opportunity for example, and others outside of the discussion are also sending unrelated messages to one or more of the group of users, some may become distracted by the unrelated messages and lose their train of thought. Additionally, it is possible for such a user to become overwhelmed if many other users are sending instant messages at the same time.
Today's instant messaging clients provide minimal configuration and control for the user. Some manual controls exist, which the user can set once the application is started, such as “block user John Doe” from contacting me. Even considering the manual blocking methods, generally speaking, an on-line instant messaging user is globally available to some subset of all other on-line users.
Current contact management methods would require the user to manually add another user to, and remove that user from the “permitted contact” list each time a change in peer groups is desired.
This is inefficient and impractical when applied during moderate to heavy usage, and is compounded if the user has a large community with which he or she instant messages.
Some existing IM technologies include the ability to define a queue of incoming instant messages, and to control that queue via policies, so that, for instance, no more than 5 active sessions can be presented simultaneously to the end user, with the ability to manually change the queue priority of individuals.
Other existing technologies include the ability to filter incoming messages based on the subject(s) contained within the message and the correlation with the recipient's current context.
These two existing capabilities are also somewhat impractical or cumbersome to use, as the first requires definition and management of the queue policies, and the second requires definition and management of the filters. A need, then, arises for a system and method for user control of how and when an instant messaging user can be contacted via the instant messaging application.
IM User Status Limitations
IM tools currently offered by the various suppliers have functionality available in the tool that allows users to manually setup their own availability status while online, such as “Busy”, “Away”, “Be Right Back”, or even enter their own customized away message. However, besides the inconvenience of having to self-initiate the “away” status, users frequently encounter the problem of long delay in response because the receiver is busy and/or did not notice the IM windows pop-up.
This problem occurs in many face-to-face meetings and also during teleconferences where the receiver is also the moderator or facilitator of the call, and when the “sender” attempts to get the receiver's/moderator's attention by sending an important message using IM.
In addition, there is an intelligence deficiency within the tool itself to automatically set its own availability status and have any astuteness in a user's actual current status. Moreover, if a user is off-line, any message sent to the user during this off-line time period is not captured, nor is the user made aware of these missed message when the user returns online. Therefore, additional needs arise in the art to address these deficiencies, as well.